--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd really rather leave it to others to…" description: "\"I'd really rather leave it to others to say what they see in it and to see if I've put something into my photographs beyond a mere recording. Yes, I've..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/bruce-barnbaum-42245_angel_i-d-really-rather-leave-it-to-others-to_3159122.jpg" --- # I'd really rather leave it to others to say what they see… ![“I'd really rather leave it to others to say what they see in it and to see if I've put something into my photographs beyond a mere recording. Yes, I've chosen the camera position, how I'm going to print the negative, the angel of the lens, what I'm going to include and exclude in the composition…” quote by Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/bruce-barnbaum-42245_angel_i-d-really-rather-leave-it-to-others-to_3159122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/bruce-barnbaum-42245_angel_i-d-really-rather-leave-it-to-others-to_3159122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/bruce-barnbaum-42245_angel_i-d-really-rather-leave-it-to-others-to_3159122.jpg) > “I'd really rather leave it to others to say what they see in it and to see if I've put something into my photographs beyond a mere recording. Yes, I've chosen the camera position, how I'm going to print the negative, the angel of the lens, what I'm going to include and exclude in the composition, so on and so forth. But, I'm still photographing a work of art, and I would rather leave it to others to comment on my work, as I just left it to you.” [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer emphasizes letting viewers interpret images, despite controlling technical choices, treating photos as art rather than mere records. **In simple terms:** Let others interpret my photos. Key Takeaway Focus on artistic intent over technical control. Themes art interpretation photography Mood contemplative inquisitive Type artistic educational When to use this quote - gallery exhibition - photo critique - personal projects - art education Key Concepts aesthetic theory subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - What does your composition say to you? - How much control should you retain? A Different Perspective Audience bias can limit personal vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen/) [Chosen Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen-camera-5703593/) [Comment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comment/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Forth Photographing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forth-photographing-5703594/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Lenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenses/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photographing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographing/) [Photographing Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographing-work-5703591/) [Photographs Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographs-mere-5703592/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/) ## Related quotes > [Be sure to take the lens cap off before photographing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/be-sure-to-take-the-lens-cap-off-before-photographing/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [When I began to photograph nudes, I let myself be guided by this camera, and instead of photographing what I saw, I photographed what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/when-i-began-to-photograph-nudes-i-let-myself-be-guided-by-this/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Photography is a life of learning. That's all I want from photography. I don't want the money. I don't need the fame. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rondal-partridge/photography-is-a-life-of-learning-that-s-all-i-want-from-photography/) [Rondal Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rondal-partridge/) > [There's a rapport that any photographer is going to have with his subject matter. And if you don't have a rapport, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/there-s-a-rapport-that-any-photographer-is-going-to-have-with-his/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [It's hard when paparazzi are photographing every single thing you do. I'm sure a lot of people made mistakes - they just were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/it-s-hard-when-paparazzi-are-photographing-every-single-thing-you-do/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [If I stage things too much and nothing changes in the act of photographing, then I might as well have not taken the picture:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-kurland/if-i-stage-things-too-much-and-nothing-changes-in-the-act-of/) [Justine Kurland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-kurland/) > [Whatever pictures are put into the world, the balance needs to be readdressed, it needs to be observed. That's why I am also really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/whatever-pictures-are-put-into-the-world-the-balance-needs-to-be/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I never stopped photographing. There were a couple of years when I didn't have a darkroom, but that didn't stop me from photographing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-cunningham/i-never-stopped-photographing-there-were-a-couple-of-years-when-i/) [Imogen Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-cunningham/) > [I can see myself as a very old man in a terrific wheelchair. Only, I won't be photographing the tree outside my window, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-can-see-myself-as-a-very-old-man-in-a-terrific-wheelchair-only-i/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me it's the act of photographing. It's enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying, because the very process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/getting-photographs-is-not-the-most-important-thing-for-me-it-s-the/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Snapshots that have been taken of me working show something I was not aware of at all, that over and over again I'm holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/snapshots-that-have-been-taken-of-me-working-show-something-i-was-not/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I photographed the entire thing in color because to photograph it in black and white would be to keep it as a tragedy. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-meyerowitz/i-photographed-the-entire-thing-in-color-because-to-photograph-it-in/) [Joel Meyerowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-meyerowitz/) > [I'm very much interested in water and women in water. I've been photographing that for years although I didn't really know it at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-very-much-interested-in-water-and-women-in-water-i-ve-been/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I like capturing stuff that is disappearing - that’s the point of photography. What I am photographing is an imaginary place that never existed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walker/i-like-capturing-stuff-that-is-disappearing-that-s-the-point-of/) [Tim Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walker/) > [Photographing a cake can be art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/photographing-a-cake-can-be-art/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) ## More by Bruce Barnbaum > [“Just as people talk about things of no real interest to them, they also take pictures of things that have no real interest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/just-as-people-talk-about-things-of-no-real-interest-to-them-they/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [There's a rapport that any photographer is going to have with his subject matter. And if you don't have a rapport, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/there-s-a-rapport-that-any-photographer-is-going-to-have-with-his/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [I believe that creativity is a product of intelligence. I don't believe that creative work can be produced by fools, dullards, or mediocre people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/i-believe-that-creativity-is-a-product-of-intelligence-i-don-t/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [Rules are foolish, arbitrary, mindless things that raise you quickly to a level of acceptable mediocrity, then prevent you from progressing further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/rules-are-foolish-arbitrary-mindless-things-that-raise-you-quickly-to/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [...I always feel it's necessary to look at my images from two distances. Here is my criterion: If I can look at it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/i-always-feel-it-s-necessary-to-look-at-my-images-from-two-distances/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [I think that's necessary in photography. We try to simplify the chaos that's out there - and that's true of the natural world as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/i-think-that-s-necessary-in-photography-we-try-to-simplify-the-chaos/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [“It has long struck me that people who attempt creative work of any type—scientific, artistic, or otherwise—without feeling any enthusiasm for that work have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/it-has-long-struck-me-that-people-who-attempt-creative-work-of-any/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [I guess it's not the plan that counts, but the words in which the plan is wrapped. Semantics count for everything, and it's obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/i-guess-it-s-not-the-plan-that-counts-but-the-words-in-which-the-plan/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) > [Why is the 'average man' so far below average?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barnbaum/why-is-the-average-man-so-far-below-average/) [Bruce Barnbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) [Explore all 10 Bruce Barnbaum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barnbaum/) ## More Angel quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/) [Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/) [Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/) > [Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new-born king.' Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/hark-the-herald-angels-sing-glory-to-the-new-born-king-peace-on-earth/) [Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "this is it", he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep."this car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/mooner-was-walking-around-laying-his-hands-on-the-cars-divining-karma/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 4,625 Angel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd really rather leave it to others to say what they see in it and to see if I've put something into my photographs beyond a mere recording. Yes, I've chosen the camera position, how I'm going to print the negative, the angel of the lens, what I'm going to include and exclude in the composition, so on and so forth. 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